Month: March 2022

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong, U.S. Attorney Leonard C. Boyle, and Special Agent in Charge Phillip Coyne of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General announced today that Redwood Toxicology Laboratory, Inc. has entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal and state governments in which it will pay nearly $4.8 million to resolve allegations it overcharged the Connecticut Medicaid program for certain laboratory services.

Redwood Toxicology Laboratory (“RTL”), with a headquarters located in Santa Rosa, California, provides laboratory-testing services, specifically urine drug testing services, for substance abuse patients enrolled in the Connecticut Medicaid program.  The government alleges that RTL violated Connecticut’s so-called “Most Favored Nation” regulation (Conn. Agencies Regs. § 17b-262-649), which provides, in essence, that clinical laboratories should not seek payment from Connecticut Medicaid for services at a price that is higher than the lowest price the laboratory charges for the same or similar services from other third parties.  Specifically, the government alleges that RTL regularly accepted payments from Connecticut Medicaid for certain urine drug tests at the rate of $38 per test, while at the same time charging other third parties from $2 to $10.50 for the same or substantially similar urine drug tests.

To resolve the governments’ allegations, RTL agreed to pay $4,797,578, which covers claims submitted to the Connecticut Medicaid program from January 1, 2015, through and including February 24, 2018.

“The state Most Favored Nation regulation exists to ensure fair prices for our taxpayer funded Medicaid program. In coordination with our federal and state partners, we will act aggressively to ensure public funds are protected and well spent,” said Attorney General Tong.

“This laboratory’s overbilling of Medicaid has resulted in a major settlement of nearly $4.8 million, thanks to vigilant anti-fraud action at the state and federal levels,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford, whose agency administers Medicaid in Connecticut.  “I join Attorney General Tong in commending our program integrity staff and law enforcement partners for this successful result on behalf of taxpayers.”

Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Attorney General’s Antitrust and Government Program Fraud Department at 860-808-5040 or by email at ag.fraud@ct.gov; the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at 860-258-5986 or by email at conndcj@ct.gov; the Department of Social Services fraud reporting hotline at 1-800-842-2155, online at www.ct.gov/dss/reportingfraud, or by email at  providerfraud.dss@ct.gov, or by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.

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2022-003-07@3:10pm– A manhole blew in front of Beverly Pizza shutting down Fairfield Avenue between Brewster Avenue and Gilman Street. Police initial report listed it as a gas rupture. Witnesses said they smelled gas prior to the explosion. Power is reported to be out in the area. A surge happened in the surrounding area so if you microwave is flashing 12 now you know why!

HARTFORD – State Senator Marilyn Moore (D-Bridgeport) received a score of 100 from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) for her support of environmental public policy bills during last year’s 2021 legislative session. The CTLCV released its annual scorecard today (https://www.ctlcv.org/scorecard2021.html), ranking all Connecticut legislators on their support or opposition to a variety of pro-environmental legislation designed to protect and improve Connecticut’s air, soil and water for generations to come. The scorecard throws into sharp relief the difference between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to protecting the beauty of our natural environment: the average Senate Democrat scored a 97.5 (A+), while the average Senate Republican scored a 70 (C-) and the average House Republican scored a 58.7 (F). “I am thankful for the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters for recognizing my commitment with helping to protect our state’s environment,” said Sen. Moore. “My vote represents thousands of constituents who work to safeguard our community and clean up our towns.” The CTLCV says its biggest legislative wins last session were:
SB 1037 Modernizing and Expanding the “Bottle Bill”SB 837 Restricting Toxic PFAS in Consumer Packaging and Firefighting FoamSB 356 Energy Retrofits in Affordable HousingSB 925 Wildlife TraffickingSB 952 Energy StorageSB 999 Workforce Development Programs for Renewable EnergyHB 6503 CompostingHJ 53 Long Island Sound Blue Plan “We urge lawmakers to use this document as a framework for what is still urgently needed to address climate change, and to make significant and lasting investments in our state’s environment,” said CTLCV Executive Director Lori Brown. “All the available science proves that we are in a climate emergency. Lawmakers need to ramp- up their efforts to make the environment a priority this year,” said Megan Macomber, CTLCV Policy Advocate. “This is a critical year for legislators to rally their colleagues and push through bills that were stalled last year.” For more than two decades, the CTLCV’s annual Environmental Scorecard rates state legislators on key environmental priorities each year. The CTLCV grades lawmakers on a scale of 0 – 100 based on how they vote on key environmental bills in committees, the House, and the Senate. Their final score represents an average of their votes on those specific bills.

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2022-03-06@11:53pm–#Bridgeport CT– 2 children received minor injuries after a collapse at Court D building 25 of Success Village off Success Avenue. Assistant Fire Chief Emmanuel told me the injuries were minor in nature but the home remains habitable. The children were taken to the hospital for evaluation as a preauction.

One Adult and Two Juveniles Arrested After Robbery of Car/Police Chase

(Westport, CT 3/5/2022) At approximately 7:00 p.m. on this date, Westport Police officers
responded to the parking lot of 1759 Post Road East on a report of the possible theft of a motor
vehicle. It was also reported that a person may have been injured during the commission of the
crime. Upon arrival, officers determined that a white Hyundai was stolen and that during the
theft the owner of the car, a sixty-four-year-old female, suffered a head injury. The victim, who
drives for Uber Eats, was picking up an order from Golden Pizza which is located at the above
address. Officers believe that while inside the restaurant, the victim observed the suspect enter
her unlocked car to steal it, so she went outside to prevent the theft. During this attempt to
intervene, the victim suffered the head injury. Officers learned that the person who stole the car
was seen getting out of a black car moments before the theft and both cars were last seen
traveling together westbound on Post Road East.

An officer who was stationed on the Sherwood Island Connector saw both the stolen Hyundai
as well as a black Acura traveling together. Both cars got onto I-95 heading towards
Bridgeport. The officer activated his lights and siren in an attempt to get the cars to pull over,
but both fled. Due to the severity of the crime, the officer pursued the vehicles. The officer lost
sight of the stolen Hyundai but continued to chase the black Acura. The Acura continued on I-
95 eventually getting off Exit 29 in Bridgeport. After exiting the highway, the driver lost
control and struck an occupied vehicle as well as several parked cars. Two occupants ran from
the Acura and the third was detained by the pursuing officer. Bridgeport Police officers were
able to quickly apprehend the two people that ran. The Acura that the suspects were in was
reported stolen from Hamden, CT earlier today. The car was searched after the arrest and a
handgun was located. However, it is not believed that the handgun was used in the commission
of the motor vehicle theft at 1759 Post Road East.

An eighteen-year-old male who was identified as Giovanni Abreu as well as two juveniles were
taken into custody. All three were charged with the following crimes: Robbery in the First
Degree, Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the First Degree, Assault in the First Degree on an
Elderly Person, Larceny in the First Degree, Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the First
Degree, Larceny in the Third Degree, Criminal Possession of a Firearm, Illegal Transfer of a
Firearm, Theft of a Firearm, Engaging Police in Pursuit, and Reckless Driving.

Mr. Abreu was held in custody on a $100,000.00 bond. Officers are currently completing the
necessary paperwork to get the two juveniles transferred to a juvenile detention facility.
The victim in this incident suffered a serious head injury and was transported to Norwalk
Hospital for treatment.

This investigation is still very active as we are still looking to recover the stolen Hyundai as
well as identify and arrest the person who stole it.

Chief Foti Koskinas was grateful for the hard work of all the officers involved in this incident.
He said that their swift actions and teamwork led to the quick arrests of three of the four
suspects involved. He also thanked the Fairfield Police Department, Bridgeport Police
Department, and the CT State Police for the assistance they provided.

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2022-03-06@2:52pm–#Fairfield CT– Report of a motorcyclist down after an accident in front of the Chef’s Table in the 11 block of the Post Road. The motorcyclist was reported to be unconscious and transported to the hospital.

Our sponsor doesn’t ride, but they get results:

Fairfield Police arrest Fairfield Ludlowe High School juvenile after threats made to classmates. On 03/05/2022, Fairfield Police Detectives working in collaboration with school safety officers, arrested a Fairfield Ludlowe High School (FLHS) student (Age 15) following a lengthy investigation of a veiled threat made to several classmates. It was reported to police that several students received a threatening text message from an unknown number. A subsequent investigation identified the suspect as a student of FLHS. Police and school administrators have been in constant contact throughout the investigation and have complete confidence that the sole person responsible has been identified and arrested. There is no reason to believe any other person is responsible for these threats and there is no active threat to the public and school community.

Fairfield Police thank everyone involved in this case for their cooperation and remind the school community that every threat of violence will be investigated to its fullest extent and will not be tolerated. The safety of our school community is paramount and we will continue to have direct involvement in ensuring that our students and staff have a safe environment to learn and work. The student was charged with Threatening 1st and Breach of Peace and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Juvenile Court.
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#Bridgeport CT–On March 6, 2022, at approximately 2:00 am the Bridgeport Emergency Operation Center received reports of a party shot at 1450 Barnum Avenue. Upon arrival, uniformed police officers located a 28-year-old Bronx NY man suffering from a single gunshot wound to the leg and a crime scene in the rear parking lot of the Ten20 Club.

There were reports of an altercation in the parking lot prior to the victim being shot. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital by AMR Ambulance where he is listed in critical condition. The Bridgeport Police Department’s Detective Bureau-General Investigation Squad responded to the scene and have taken charge of the investigation. Evidence at the crime scene is being processed at this hour. There are no current road closures as a result of this incident and the area is expected to be cleared of police activity by 8:00 am. This appears to be an isolated incident.

Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact the case officer, Detective Stavros Mirtsopoulos at 203-5256, or utilize the Bridgeport Police Tips Line at 203-576-TIPS.

2022-03-05@9:11pm–#Fairfield CT– Police are looking for the driver of a blue pick-up truck who stole some lobsters from the Villa Avenue Stop and Shop. The pickup was last seen making a u-turn on Villa Avenue heading towards Bridgeport so it is probably a lost claws…

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